Senior Fellows Program
Program Background
The Montgomery County Council's Senior Fellows Program is a unique opportunity for retired/semi-retired residents of Montgomery County to bring their wealth of knowledge and diversity of experiences and perspectives from varied careers and/or volunteerism to the offices of the County Council. It is designed to provide retired Montgomery County residents the ability to actively participate in County government.
Senior Fellows will be part of a Councilmember team assisting with ongoing projects, policy analyses and community outreach. Participants can expect to interact directly with elected officials, senior management staff, local civic organizations, advocacy groups, constituents and business leaders. Specific trainings and responsibilities will vary depending on the Councilmember office. The Fellows meet periodically as a group for cohort check-ins, and to experience programmed activities. Please note this program is separate from the Executive Branch’s Senior Fellows program.
Senior Fellows Application Process & Work Details
Application
The Council’s Senior Fellows Program now accepts applications on a rolling (continuous) basis. When Councilmembers or the Central Office are interested and able to host a Fellow, they will review the application pool at that time. All interested individuals will be required to fill out an application. Councilmember and Central Staff office’s will select and interview applicants for their office as needed. You can contact the program coordinators at anytime if you would like your application to be removed from the applicant pool. You can contact the program coordinators at anytime if you would like your application to be removed from the applicant pool.
Note: If you have filled out an application previously, please do so again now. The application has been updated since the original application period in 2019-2020.
Stipend & Hours
A Council Senior Fellow is a volunteer position. You will be provided a small stipend to cover basic expenses related to the program after approval of your timesheet statement.
Your specific length of time in the program and weekly hours are dependent on your placement and start date. However, this program is meant to be part-time (less than 20 hours a week-we recommend 5-10 hours/week to supervisors). You will discuss these details with your potential supervisor during the selection process, if applicable.
Location & Transportation
Office Building: 100 Maryland Ave. Rockville, MD 20850. See Visitor Information.
2022 Senior Fellow Alumni Group Members
After completing your program in the Montgomery County Council’s Senior Fellows program, you will be invited to join and participate in the Council’s Senior Fellows Alumni group. Members will be invited to participate in events with current cohort members and to share their insight with Fellows.
Contact Our Program Coordinator
The 2020 inaugural cohort of Council Senior Fellows. From left to right: Top- Dorie Hightower, Councilmember Glass’ office; Eric Grosse, Councilmember Friedson’s office; Lee Keiser, Central office; Middle- Elliott Levine, Councilmember Riemer’s office; Jay Kenney, Central office; Nitu Gupta, Councilmember Hucker’s office; Bottom- Senior Fellow program coordinators Pamela Dunn & Nicole Rodriguez-Hernandez. Since 2020, we have also welcomed (not pictured): Betty Ring, Councilmember Katz’s office; Jeff Zyontz, Central office; and Chuck Short, Councilmember Albornoz’s office.